Can somebody give me a hand and ID this spider?

[marius1]

Hi guys
This spider gave my wife a heart attack. It was sitting in a fold in the curtain when she was closing it
Does anybody know what it is? Brown Recluse or garden variety Huntsman?
Appreciate any help!
Thanks,
Marius

[Sico]

It makes it difficult to assist with identification of species when we have no idea where they were found. Other info like the size etc is also helpful. That said, it looks like either a large wolf spider or even a rain spider, both of which are insignificantly venomous to humans, although larger specimens are able to bite, having large fangs. Their placid nature makes this unlikely though.

[Skippy69]

My guess (ex P. Natalius), Not 100% sure.

it looks like either a large wolf spider or even a rain spider, both of which are insignificantly venomous to humans,

Are both these realy "insignificantly venomous to humans"? Realy didn't know that.

Regards
Skippy

[Fooble]

African Huntsman Spider?

[Sico]

Skippy, technically all spiders except for the [i]Uloboridae[\i] family posess venom glands, not all of them are significantly venomous to humans.

[Puff the Magic Adder]

That is Palystes sp. - a Rain Spider (or Hunting Spider / Huntsman Spider depending on your preference of common name). I'm not sure of the exact species - location is important for that. I'd say that is a male in that photo.

They might bite if you grab them. The bite may be a little bit red and sore for about 10 minutes or so (individual reactions may vary of course) and then it fades. Clean the bite and apply some antiseptic.
There have been stories of more adverse reactions to bites, but they are either due to allergic reactions or are psychosomatic.